Kawasaki motorcycles
 |
Kawasaki motorcycles are manufactured by the Motorcycle & Engine a division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
History kawasaki
[edit]Kawasaki Aircraft initially manufactured motorcycles under the Meguro name, having bought an ailing motorcycle manufacturer, M eguro Manufacturing with whom they had been in partnership. This eventually became Kawasaki Motor Sales.b[1] Some early motorcycles display an emblem with "Kawasaki Aircraft" on the fuel tan k.
During 1962, Kawasaki engineers were de veloping a four-stroke engine for small cars. Then some of the engineers transferred to the Meguro factory to work on the Megu ro K1 and the SG, a single cylinder 250 cc OHV. In 1963, Kdescribed as a flag within a wing.
Work continued on the Meguro K 1, a copy of the BSA A7 500 cc vertical twin[2] and on the W1. The K2 was exported to the U.S. for a test in response to the expanding American market for four-stroke motorcycles. At first it was rejected for a lack of power. By the mid-1960s, Kawasaki was finally exporting a moderate number of motorcycles. The Kawasaki H1 Mach III in 1968, along with several enduro-styled motorcycles to compete with Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda, increased sales of Kawasaki units.
1974 saw the establishmLincoln, Nebraska, US, named the American Kawasaki Motors Corporation (KMC), to complete Japan-produced components into finished motorcycles for the North Ameri can market.[3][4]
Kawasaki's engines division, housed in a single office complex inGrand Rapids, Michigan, consolidates research and development proje cts for engines.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Kawasaki Museum, Kawasaki as "Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. Ltd." Archived 2010-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Motorcycle Classics, Kawasaki W2TT Commander.
- ^ Kawasaki's US factory. Motorcycle News, 13 February 1974, p.7. Retrieved April 4, 2022
- ^ Kawasaki's Plant in Lincoln, Nebraska cycleworld.com, July 11, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022
- ^ "Kawasaki's Engines Division To Consolidate All Functions Including Research & Development In A Single Office Complex In Grand Rapids, Michigan | Small Engines - Lawn Mower Engines - Parts - Kawasaki". www.kawasakienginesusa.com. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
External links
[edit]